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Maybe their look you think they give that "you took the easy way out" is a surgery to lose weight because they can't relate to not being able to lose excess body weight (AND KEEP IT OFF) through dieting and exercise alone? For those that outright say "you took the easy way out", don't bother to explain your actions, they are ignorant. By the way, my fellow sleeve buddy, you have done an excellent job so far losing your excess weight. Congratulations!

How about takes on their real shows: "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" Can become "Post WLS First Time Eating Solid Foods Throwup & Sliming With Bobby Flay" "Cupcake Wars" Can become "Protein shake Wars" "Guy's Big Bite" Can become "Guy's Little Bites Chewed 20-25 Times" "30 Minute Meals" Can stay as "30 Minute Meals", since we need to make our meals last at least 20 minutes "Worst Cooks In America" Should be taken off the air. There is no contest, my wife is the all-time reigning world champion. Hmmm (rubs my double chin).

The people who offer such insightful weight loss advise to my obesity (and only short term success with dieting): "You can just lose weight if all you did was eat less and exercise." Thank you Captain Obvious. I can also fly if I just grew a pair of wings or win Powerball if I only picked the winning numbers. Let me know if Sears is having a sale on wood chippers this week.

I know, I was just kidding with you. My breath wasn't that bad, but I did notice it being a little "ripe" during the initial post-op phase. I don't know if the choices of Protein have an effect (from different meats or protein isolates in shakes. When you brush your teeth, maybe you could give a couple of quick swipes to your tongue to remove any buildup? I hope it goes away soon.

I think you should be preparing your own meals for now on.

Let me remember....Oh yeah, it was the day I said "I do" at my wedding. (Ba-dum-tish ) Actually, I was lucky and never had any significant pain except for the first or second day when I twisted too far and pulled on the stitches and even then it was only temporary. Some people have pain due to the (nitrogen?) gas bubbles and can help alleviate it by walking.

I looked it up, it is a pretty slick way to keep track of your hydration the high-tech way. I use the manual method: I fill and drink all of the Water in my water bottle 1 time =20oz. I fill and drink all of the water in my water bottle 2 times =40oz. I fill and drink all of the water in my water bottle 3 times =60oz.

Without reading into those remarks "...that my husband better "put a lock on me" and "watch me" because I just might start fooling around on him ...... ", I would say they were paying you a compliment that you are pretty now and will be looking very "hot" after you lose your excess body weight. Granted, the choice of words could have been a lot better. As others pointed out, if guys said that (I doubt they are "testing the waters", they probably just talk like stereotypical men) just remember it is due to the "Y-chromosome" we have. With this chromosome there are genetic defects that make some men: Light farts on fire. Enjoy watching The 3-Stooges movies. Go to monster truck shows. Yell "YEAH!" or "Woo-Hoo!" whenever something blows up in a movie.

Mine is similar, but requires a little more work. Take out a Keurig adapter. Fill with my own ground coffee I buy from a warehouse club ($16 for 40 oz for Starbucks, or less for other brands). Brew it into my own coffee mug. Add a little milk and artificial sweetener. Take $2 out of my wallet. Wave it in the direction of Starbucks Headquarters in Seattle, Washington and taunt them. Put the $2 back in my wallet. Drink the coffee while relaxing and realizing how much better that coffee tastes when sitting on 2 comfortable $1 bills.

Great question, but I never read any studies. I'll take a chance of developing cancer in my old age by living a longer & healthier life (post WLS) than dying of an obesity related comorbidity at an earlier age.

Here's a post I made a few months back: Sleeve Gastrectomy – Does Size Matter? by Kimberly Taylor on August 21, 2013 · Comments | Weight Loss Surgery The gastric sleeve procedure has quickly become one of the most common types of weight loss surgery, jumping from obscurity to importance in only a few years. Despite it’s newfound popularity among patients and surgeons, there are many technical aspects of the procedure including bougie size that remain controversial. What is a Bougie? The bougie (prounounced BOO-zhee) is a measuring tool in the form of a long, thin, flexible tube. The surgeon uses it as a guide when dividing the stomach. During surgery, the bougie is put into the mouth and pushed down through the esophagus and stomach to the pylorus. The tube creates a bulge inside the stomach that the surgeon uses to guide the stapler when dividing the stomach. After the sleeve is formed, the bougie is removed from the body. Bougies comes in a range of sizes that are identified by a unit of measurement called a French. 1 French is equal to 0.333mm (1/3 mm) and is abbreviated as F, Fr or FR. For reference, a 40F bougie measures about 1/2 inch (40F x 0.333mm = 13.32mm, converted to inches is 1/2″). Standard bougie sizes in the United States range from 32-50F. The bougie size is not the same as stomach size, although it does influence the size of the sleeve. Generally, the smaller the bougie, the smaller the new stomach size, but the same size bougie does not always create the same size stomach. The finished sleeve size is determined by how close the stapler gets to the guide and whether the surgeon oversews the staple line and if so, by how much. While the gastric sleeve is now widely accepted as a primary bariatric procedure, there is not yet unanimous agreement on an ideal bougie size. The decision is trying to find the size that will provide the safest results with the most amount of weight loss. With a smaller bougie size, the smaller the sleeve and greater the restriction, but greater the risk of leak and stricture rate. A stricture is an excessively narrow section that develops when scar tissue grows and interferes with the normal movement of food and liquids into the stomach. It can cause upper abdominal pain after eating and chronic vomiting or regurgitation of undigested food. Symptoms usually start in the first 6 weeks after surgery. Strictures are very uncommon, but surgery is required to remedy the situation. If a larger bougie size is used, the sleeve will be larger and the operation safer, but the concern is that it may not produce enough weight loss. 2008 Study A study in 2008 found that a bougie size of 40F compared with 60F did not result in significantly greater weight loss in the short term. Comparing 40F versus 60F: At 6 months, the excess weight loss was 38.8% versus 40.6%. At 12 months, the excess weight loss was 51.9% versus 45.4%. (Study: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: does bougie size affect mean %EWL? Short-term outcomes. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2008 Jul-Aug;4(4):528-33. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2008.03.245.) 2013 Study In a 2013 study, researchers wanted to find out if there is an ideal bougie size. To do this, they did a search of medical literature published in the last 5 years and analyzed 32 publications involving 4,999 patients. What they found: The use of bougies 40F and larger had a leak rate of 0.92% and excess weight loss of 69.2%. The use of bougies smaller than 40F had a leak rate of 2.67% and excess weight loss of 60.7%. The results show that larger sizing bougies had a lower incidence of leaks with no change in weight loss. The researchers call for further studies before a decision is made on optimal bougies size, but recommend caution in using the smallest bougie possible because the risks may outweigh the benefits. (Study: The Effects of Bougie Caliber on Leaks and Excess Weight Loss Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Is There an Ideal Bougie Size? Obes Surg. 2013 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]) 2012 Surgeon Survey According to a 2012 survey of surgeons experienced in sleeve gastrectomy, the bougie size used ranged from 32F to 50F, with the most common size being 36F (used by 32% of surgeons surveyed). Studies show that the procedure is relatively safe, but there are still many variations in bougie size. (Study: Survey on laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) at the Fourth International Consensus Summit on Sleeve Gastrectomy. Obes Surg. 2013 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print]) Bougie Size Bougie size is based on patient input, height, weight, and surgeon technique. The bougie size is typically smaller when the procedure is performed as a stand-alone procedure (32-50F) rather than part of the duodenal switch (50-60F). Depending on the bougie size used by the surgeon, the new stomach size will be about 60-80% smaller after surgery. The average stomach holds 30-40 ounces, or roughly 4-6 cups per meal. After surgery, a small meal of 1/2 cup to 1-1/2 cups will fill the new stomach pouch. The sleeve will stretch somewhat from the surgery size, but will get no where near the size of the original stomach. If you are planning to undergo the sleeve gastrectomy procedure, make sure you discuss the bougie size with your surgeon during the pre-op process. It is important that you understand the rationale for your surgeon’s recommendation and to feel comfortable with the size of your post-op stomach. While bougie size is a consideration, healthy weight loss will ultimately depend on following a reduced-calorie, nutrient-rich diet. The sleeve will help reduce hunger and limit food intake, but it is up to you to choose the foods and liquids that you put into your body. I made a quick EXCEL spreadsheet converting the size to mm and inches based upon the formula. Note: Per this article, the surgeon's techniques contribute to the overall size ("...how close the stapler is to the guide...", "...whether they oversew"..., etc.) Bougie Size mm Inches 32 10.66 0.42 33 10.99 0.43 34 11.32 0.45 35 11.66 0.46 36 11.99 0.47 37 12.32 0.49 38 12.65 0.50 39 12.99 0.51 40 13.32 0.52 41 13.65 0.54 42 13.99 0.55 43 14.32 0.56 44 14.65 0.58 45 14.99 0.59 46 15.32 0.60 47 15.65 0.62 48 15.98 0.63 49 16.32 0.64 50 16.65 0.66

Thanks for the link to the article, it was a very interesting read. I saw it was posted in the magazine "Runner's World". I try to think of my body is that of an athlete too, unfortunately it is that of a Sumo wrestler.

This reminds me of a joke. A blind man walking by a fish market, tipped his hat and said "Good morning ladies".

I wonder if it could be due to a small blood vessel that broke from your vomiting? No sense discussing other causes. You will have a doctor diagnose it, that is important. Good luck, keep us posted of the results.

If you order a hamburger or a chicken sandwich and don't want the bun, can you ask them to hold the bread and wrap it in a lettuce leaf? That was something I tried years back when I was on the Atkins Diet (If they use only shredded lettuce, that will be a very difficult request. ) Could you bring a piece of low calorie bread with you and make your own open face sandwich or 2 pieces of low calorie bread for a full sandwich?

Taking care of myself sometimes ahead of other people for the first time in my life. Stressing myself out over other people's actions (or lack of) only helps contribute to my stress eating (which I am getting better at not doing; old habits die slowly). I am not talking about being self-centered or a narcissist, but I don't always have to be the one who's efforts goes well above and beyond when others are doing what is most convenient for them, don't want to inconvenience themselves, don't put in their fair effort share, or their lack of planning.

Don't sweat it, the holiday season is over. You have done a fantastic job at losing and keeping off your excess body weight and are below your goal weight. Keep up the great work!

I am very sorry for the loss of your daughter. Thank you for sharing this tragic story so that people are aware that sometimes there are complications with WLS. May God bless you and your family.

Cheating? Committing to a surgically altered intestines and/or stomach, a lifetime commitment to eating differently (from when we were obese), exercising regularly, etc. is not cheating. I have had no one say to me that I was "cheating" or "taking the easy way out" (who knows, maybe they said it behind my back). In fact, everyone who found out about this surgery has been supportive. They know I was very obese and the long term prognosis of being that obese at my 50 years of age was not very good.

People make good, serious New Year's resolutions such as making a resolution to: "lose weight", "exercise more", "give up smoking", etc. Let's start the New Year off with a smile. What funny (real or made up) New Year's resolution do you make? I'll start. I promise to keep my successful annual New Year's resolution streak of not dating any hot supermodels. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Also, speaking for the VSG only, a little sip of Water to only help you wash down something dry is not a bad thing. If you can avoid it, do not drink liquids during your meal and wait 30 minutes after eating your meal. A crock pot, a little low calorie sauce or gravy on it, cooking the chicken in an aluminum foil tent with some liquid, etc., can help too. Don't worry, it gets easier.

Happy New Year to you and everyone else too. I only had 1 beer and stayed away from the chips, crackers and sweets, but I enjoyed the other Snacks at the party. I wonder how many people didn't realize how alcohol can have a greater effect on them post WLS (I would like to be at their party to observe that ).

Long term usage of PPIs have been linked with bone thinning (accelerating osteoporosis) and reducing the absorption of Calcium. My surgeon's office did not want me to take omeprazole on a daily basis more than the first 2 or 3 months. If someone has stomach acid issues or prone for ulcers, than the benefit of taking PPIs on a permanent maintenance outways the risks. This should be medically supervised with periodic tests and take calcium supplements (per their doctor's recommendations) -but some doctors feel that large daily calcium supplements are being linked with an increased chance of a heart attack -WTF!

If you were to go to your family's house because you can't handle cooking, how was he planning on having his meals cooked? Maybe you should take him up on his offer and leave him. He doesn't sound very supportive.

The surgery is only a tool to help us lose weight. If there are deep rooted problems or compulsive behaviors that might undermine the success of the WLS, they will help people address these or at the very worst, get control of "what is eating them" first, before the surgery. Also, if someone has an addictive personality, there may be a cross addiction (alcohol, smoking, gambling, etc.) that could be developed post-WLS. Answer honestly, it is for your own good and success.